It consists of a bronze rendition of Cortés designed by Eduardo Barrón on top of a stone pedestal.

The first one to come up with the idea of erecting a monument to Cortés in Medellín was Carolina Coronado, formulating it as early as 1845,[1] predating a 1858 public petition.

[2] The bronze statue of Cortés is depicted wearing armor, stepping on some Mexica idols while raising the banner of the Cross.

[4] Transported to Medellín in a journey not free from mishaps, the monument was unveiled on 2 December 1890 near the location of the old house of Cortés,[5] during a ceremony attended by Raimundo Fernández Villaverde as representative of the national government.

[6][7] The Mayor of Medellín, a municipality with barely 2,000 inhabitants,[3] commented that everyone "is defined by their actions" concluding that the perpetrators "have put on themselves the label of tyranny and that of caciques because of their disrespect".